i’ve never had vietnamese food back in singapore so when i got to vancouver back in 2006, i was shocked to see the vast amount of restaurants serving PHO. it’s pretty mcdonaldized if you ask me. initially, pho was like something exotic for me. now, i only eat it when i have no other choices. funny how time can change our eating habits !

maula and i were starving when we paid nungki a visit at coquitlam centre’s blenz. we couldn’t find a decent place to dine at so nungki recommended pho 99. 4 of us then headed there to have our dinner. the restaurant was really spacious, unlike the gold train express at kingsway. we were served immediately although it was crowded at 9pm. the waitress was just fine. i had the large pho tai nam gau gan sach, which consist of eye round steak, well-done brisket, soft tendon and beef tripe with noodle soup. there was more than enough vermicelli. the meats were well cooked and soft. the bill came to a total of CAN$8+.

i didn’t get to taste hanno, nungki & maula’s meals though.

OPEN UNTIL 11PM
ACCEPTS CREDIT CARD/CASH/DEBIT CARD

my overall ratings are as follows:

ambiance: 7.5/10 (free and easy service and convenient for those working at coquitlam centre)service: 6/10 (average service)food (taste & appearance): 7/10 (pho that is above average)value: 8/10 (huge portion at a cheap rate of CAN$7+ exclusive of tips)

total: 7.13/10★

in conclusion, keep pho 99 in mind if you need immediate serving of food.

gigi brought me to gold train express and i had no expectations or whatsoever. the place has limited seats and the path from the entrance to the inner seating area is too narrow. gigi and i sat near the entrance and it was not hard to notice the number of people passing by us. the waiter paid little attention to us when we needed to get our glasses of tea refilled. instead of ordering the usual pho soup, i made an order of the dry pho that gigi recommended. it had spring rolls, peanuts, sausages and such. it was different from the boring soup dish. the vermicelli were pretty dry though. maybe i did not mix properly but there were not much sauce in the first place. the portion was huge though so i had to pack some to go.

OPEN 24/7
ACCEPTS CREDIT CARD/CASH/DEBIT CARD

my overall ratings are as follows:

ambiance: 3.5/10 (bad infrastructure)service: 4.5/10 (waiters are rude and slow in satisfying customer service)food (taste & appearance): 7.5/10 (nicely decorated and taste is a little above average)value: 8.5/10 (too much food for the standard price of a bowl of pho)

total: 6/10★

in conclusion, this is one of the few phos that served gazillion pho dishes so stay tuned for more !

after not having a proper meal for the entire day, janet and i decided to dine at the new vietnamese restaurant since we were running out of time and it’s by far, the closest decent restaurant to nordstrom rack. there were very few customers at about 4+pm so we could practically sit anywhere. i ordered the bun cha gio (US$7.20), which is egg rolls on vermicelli. there was more than enough sauce on the vermicelli because the waiter gave me a bow of it. the egg rolls are crispy, which is something i truly appreciate. it was a pleasing experience dining there even though the vermicelli is more authentic in vancouver.

CASH ONLY

my overall ratings are as follows:

ambiance: 6/10 (average pho settings)service: 9.5/10 (friendly waiter that was very patient with our sudden decision to switch from taking out to dining in)food (taste & appearance): 6/10 (tasty but you can find more authentic phos in vancouver)value: 6.5/10 (about the same pricing as canada but smaller in size)

total: 7/10★

in conclusion, visit this restaurant after a long shopping trip at nordstrom rack if you are extremely famished.

it was my second visit to coquitlam centre and there aren’t many restaurants to dine in so nungki and i settled for vietnamese food at the food court. she ordered the beefball pho soup while i got the roll dip with lemon grass vermicelli. it cost CAN$8+ for me but i walked away with a very filling and satisfying tummy. i prefer the roll dips in food courts over restaurants. the lemon grass chicken was also pretty succulent.